From: http://today.cofc.edu/2012/10/19/the-college-welcomes-record-number-of-gates-millennium-scholars/
Three College of Charleston freshmen are among 1,000 students nationwide who have been awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship. The application process included writing eight essays each, in which the students told stories of being bullied, managing anxiety and depression, and discovering what they love to do. “To have three Gates Millennium Scholars enter the College in one year really speaks to the quality of our applicants and to the education we can provide,” Provost George Hynd says. “They had the opportunity to go to the school of their choice, and we’re honored they chose the College of Charleston.”
The Gates Millennium Scholarship is given to outstanding minority students each year by the United Negro College Fund and is made possible by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award is good through graduation, and recipients may request funding for a graduate degree program in computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.
Joseph Quisol, a scholarship recipient from Charlotte, N.C., says writing the essays helped him determine the subjects he likes best and led to his decision to double major in international studies and political science. Quisol is also in the Honors College and a member of the inaugural class for theInternational Scholars Program. He is considering a graduate program in public health and hopes to one day work for the U.S. Department of State.
“When I was in high school my parents had to sacrifice paying bills so I could take International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement exams, and I didn’t want them to sacrifice more for college” Quisol says. He chose the College of Charleston because when he visited the campus, he liked the tight-knit atmosphere. “The faculty seemed really invested in the undergraduates.”
